ASMBS Staff Liaison

Leslie Vinson

Description

The Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee supports the mission and values of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons by promoting continuous improvement in patient safety and risk reduction. These goals are achieved by the integration and coordination of patient safety initiatives of member surgeons. Patient safety initiatives are processes designed to reduce medical errors through process analysis and participation in quality improvement reporting. The Patient Safety Committee believes that the most effective manner to decrease surgeon exposure to liability is through improving patient safety. We acknowledge that patient safety will not eliminate risk for litigation. However, we are working to help our members by studying trends in malpractice suits, professional liability insurance costs, its availability, as well as identification of gaps in risk management, and the development of expert witness guidelines.

Mission

To improve the care and treatment of people with obesity and related diseases

To advance the science and understanding of metabolic and bariatric surgery

To foster communication between health professionals on obesity and related conditions

To be a highly valued specialty society that serves the educational and professional needs of our diverse membership

Objectives

Identify gaps and members needs in patient safety, risk management and professional liability

Identify and develop optimal resources for patient safety, risk management and professional liability

Provide recommendations for promotion and dissemination of patient safety and risk management information

Long-Term

1) Development of a longitudinal education curriculum for non-surgeon providers who care for our patients, i.e., Patient Safety Education programs for surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists
2) ASMBS Clinical Care Pathways Library
a. To include revisions, primary endoscopic procedures
b. Therapeutic interventions to weight regain
3) Partner with liability carriers to create patient safety curriculum to reduce exposure and injuries
4) Partner with insurers to establish a national presurgical pathway
5) CQI projects with sleeve pathway (possible joint venture with Research Committee)
6) Provide updates to members on important professional liability and patient safety issues as they arise
7) Continue to develop resources for risk management
8) Help create a mechanism by which ASMBS can endorse and encourage high performing programs exhibiting patient safety and quality improvement in all aspects of bariatric care

Specific Projects that Achieve Goals and Objectives

1) Development of a Preoperative RYGB Pathway in first draft form November 2018; expand to intra and postoperative pathways
2) Task force for preoperative patient requirement recommendations
3) Administration of Intervention to Reduce VTE Rates to Promote Patient Safety member survey (once approved by Executive Council ) to membership at ObesityWeek 2019
4) Continual literature review to update sleeve pathway as necessary
5) We will develop these projects in the future; currently we are focusing on the three main projects detailed above in the Mid-Term goals (#s 1, 2 and 3)